The Morning After The Night Before
by jenny0198
Summary: Team Machine and the mother of all hangovers


**The Morning After The Night Before**

Someone groaned quietly and asked whose idea it had been to drink shooters the previous evening. "It was Root" said Fusco finally from where he lay between her and Shaw, after a period of silence while everyone tried to remember. Root raised herself slowly on her arms and then collapsed back onto her elbows with a small cry as the room whirled and her head threatened to explode "Urgh, I think I'm dying" she whimpered. She examined the rest of her body with a puzzled frown, trying to determine how it was different from usual "Why am I _naked_?" she asked curiously and finally took note of her surroundings "Why are we _all_ naked? Did someone suggest some silly drinking game?" She looked at Fusco suspiciously: she usually blamed him for the ills in her life, often unfairly. Then her eyes drifted down his body and widened – no wonder Sameen paid him a visit now and again. She would give that dirty slut such a spanking!

Fusco seemed to have a better memory than everyone else "That was Finch" he mumbled with closed eyes. Finch groggily raised himself onto an elbow, turning to face Root from the other side "Me, Miss Groves? That doesn't sound like me at all. I'm not sure I even know any drinking games" His eyes were glazed and he seemed only half-sober. That probably explained why he suddenly buried his face in Root's hair and inhaled deeply "Ah, you are using that apple-blossom shampoo again, Miss Groves. I find it most… invigorating" Root flapped her hands at him helplessly "Stop it, Harry, you're acting weird. Are you still drunk?" Finch leered and said "Your hair's not the only thing that I like to sniff, Miss Groves"

"Harold, that's…" said Reese.

"Ewww, yuk" said Shaw, wondering if she should lock her underwear away.

"…not nice, Finch" said Fusco.

"I'm just joking with Miss Groves" said Finch hastily. He sighed "She's no fun this morning" and he gave a foolish grin "Not like last night" he said with a knowing wink and tapped his nose with a forefinger.

Root looked horrified as she desperately tried to remember what had happened "Sameen, help me! What did I do?" Shaw muttered something, turned, and threw an arm over Fusco's chest; paying no attention. On her other side Reese did the same, his longer arm looping across Shaw to Fusco. Fusco carefully opened one eye and cautiously but gently lifted Reese's hand from his body and placed it on Shaw's waist – he didn't want another man's hand sleepily wandering where it shouldn't. Of course, he thought, he wouldn't mind Shaw's hand doing some exploring – maybe even Root's too.

"I remember now" said Finch "Someone suggested playing Naked Twister. I think that was after the fifth Tequila Slammer" He paused "Or was it the eighth? Before the whiskey anyway"

Fusco yawned deeply "Sounds like a Reese idea" he commented with his eyes closed again, eager to spread the blame for the evening's general mayhem and high jinks. Hopefully they'd forget about his involvement. He reached over and gave Shaw's buttock a friendly squeeze, who gave a sleepy grunt; then did the same to Root so that she wouldn't feel left out. Root didn't seem to appreciate it and gave him a painful pinch back for his trouble. He saw with a mixture of anger and exasperation that she'd crossed her legs, clenching her thighs together: did she really think he'd force himself? Even on a pain-in-the-ass like her? He pulled her close and murmured "No one's going to hurt you, Root. Not with Reese and Shaw around, Finch too, so calm down"

He carefully levered himself partially upright onto an elbow and examined Root's nude form with curiosity "You know, you've got quite a good bod, Root. A bit skinny but… nice to look at". He idly drew a circle around her navel with his finger and grinned rather maliciously as she shrank away from his touch. Finch's head popped up from her other side "What are you doing, Detective? Unhand Miss Groves immediately!" he demanded with alcohol-fueled belligerence, spoiling the effect by shortsightedly ogling Root's right breast. Fusco chuckled "Hey, I don't mind seconds Finch" he commented crudely and Finch's eyes narrowed angrily "Shall I biff him, Miss Groves?" he growled. Fusco smiled inwardly - nothing like a pretty girl to make a guy bold, even Finch. Root's eyes ping-ponged between the two men - she hoped that Harold wouldn't really start fighting with Fusco: as a cop he had plenty of experience of brawls and street fights and poor Harold would come off worse. Oh dear, she thought, the situation was all very primitive and silly but rather exciting – she wondered if she could replicate it with Sameen somehow. Shaw chose that moment to get involved and rested her chin on Fusco's bare shoulder "Leave her alone, Lionel, you don't know where she's been. Anyway, I'm much more fun". Fusco grinned "I was just giving her some payback for when she gives us all a hard time. She's all yours Finch". Both Root and Finch relaxed and Shaw pulled Fusco close to avoid any further conflict "Yeah, Sameen, you're way more fun" he mumbled in her ear.

Meanwhile Reese had been thinking but his head seemed full of cotton wool and it was difficult so he was several minutes behind everyone else "We don't have a Twister board though" he said "Well the thing with the coloured circles on it. Is that a board? Or is it a special name?" He seemed to think the question important and was silent for a while, gazing distractedly into space. Eventually he returned to the present "Yes, we asked the same question last night and decided that we didn't have a Twister board so couldn't play. Then someone wanted to go skinny-dipping in the hot tub upstairs"

"Bet it was that minx Shaw" said Fusco, giving her a squeeze and a sleepy kiss on the cheek. "Oh yeah" said Shaw "I remember now. Root and I did a lap-dance thing around the pole up there. You guys seemed to like it – didn't give us any tips though. Cheapskates"

"You two didn't have anywhere to put any tips" pointed out Reese "Well, apart from your…"

"We get the picture, Reese" said Fusco hastily, putting his annoyance about Root to one side and not wanting to embarrass either woman. "Did er…, did anything happen afterwards between us three and you two?" asked Fusco nervously, not really wanting to know the answer. "Umm, I don't remember too well" said Shaw, wrinkling her brow "Let's assume not. That's best I think"

"Yeah" agreed Fusco "Don't want to make anyone feel awkward". Sexual desire was something that very rarely came up within the team and then only between certain couples. It would be better to sweep some drunken, one-off pairings under the carpet – jealousy and hurt feelings would degrade their effectiveness. More importantly there was no need to ruin friendships either: after all, these days, they only had each other.

"Whose turn is it to make breakfast?" Shaw yawned "I want some pancakes"


End file.
